Networking architectures have grown increasingly complex in communication environments. For example, Wi-Fi access points (APs), which provide wireless connectivity according to Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, have gained notoriety due to their capabilities to connect wireless devices to a mobile network. In general terms Wi-Fi APs operate in an unlicensed spectrum to connect users to the mobile network. For a service provider (SP) providing for operation of a mobile network, Wi-Fi APs can offer improvements to both coverage and capacity, which is particularly applicable to indoor networking environments where macro cell networks typically suffer coverage limitations. Wi-Fi APs can also offer alternative networking architectures to deliver benefits of scalable service provider Wi-Fi deployments in which service provider Wi-Fi APs can be deployed to provide seamless connectivity between cellular and Wi-Fi APs.
Wi-Fi APs in current service provider commercial or enterprise deployments are often deployed in controller-based networks in which a centralized controller aggregates connectivity of the Wi-Fi APs and also provides a mechanism to enable fast mobility or handover (e.g., roaming in IEEE parlance) between Wi-Fi APs for a deployment. Controller-based Wi-Fi deployments offer certain advantages in providing a centralized mechanism to enable configuration, authentication, access control, mobility and management among Wi-Fi APs for commercial or enterprise environments. However, Wi-Fi APs are also increasingly used in residential or multi-dwelling unit (MDU) environments in which residential/MDU users deploy one or more Wi-Fi APs in a residential/MDU environment. Residential/MDU Wi-Fi deployments are often operated autonomously without a centralized controller as users add and remove Wi-Fi APs from their networks as desired. Service providers are increasingly seeking to penetrate residential/MDU Wi-Fi deployments to provide seamless mobility and services between cellular and Wi-Fi deployments. However, there are currently no standardized techniques to deliver fast mobility between autonomous Wi-Fi APs for controller-less deployments. Accordingly, there are significant challenges in providing fast mobility among autonomous Wi-Fi APs in controller-less deployments.